WFO RIW Now Producing Gridded Analyses of Observations

A new web page has been placed on the Riverton, WY WFO Internet to show gridded plots of observational data. The link to the page can be found by clicking on "Observations" in the Current Conditions section of the left hand menu. From the Observations page, click on "Gridded Analyses of Observations" with the NEW image next to it.

A page will come up with an interface which allows users to look at hourly temperature, dewpoint temperature, relative humidity, and wind plots for the last 14 days. In addition, daily maximum and minimum temperatures and maximum and minimum relative humidities are also available. All of the data going in to these plots are quality controlled four times a day by staff at the NWS office in Riverton, with special consideration given to point observations in western and central Wyoming. More details on the methods are included at the bottom of the page.

Hourly and daily precipitation estimate plots are also provided. However, this data is being generated automatically byt the Multisensor Precipitation Estimator and is not currently being quality controlled. Both radar estimates and ground observations are used in these plots. The KRIW Doppler radar is currently experiencing some clutter suppression problems which is producing unrealistic precipitation estimates along the mountains in Fremont County. Improvements are expected to be made in the coming months.

To use the interface, simply click on the arrow buttons next to either the time or day along the top. To switch between elements, just click on the element buttons along the top as well. You can also click on the days below the plots to switch between days.

The plots are typically updated once an hour at about 45 minutes after the hour. Any questions regarding these plots can be directed to Brett McDonald, Science and Operations Officer.